This invention relates to a method and apparatus for removing liquids from materials that contain liquid-laden asbestos and in particular to a method and apparatus for compacting and removing liquid from materials which contain asbestos that have become liquid-laden as the result of being wet-down during the course of asbestos abatement procedures. By separating and expelling a portion of the liquids from the asbestos-containing material, and by compacting the remaining asbestos-containing material, the method and apparatus thereby achieves a great reduction in the cost of removal, clean-up, transportation and permanent storage of the actual asbestos-containing material.
Commonly used methods of asbestos abatement control the generation of airborne asbestos fibers to limit employee exposure by "wetting down," or soaking, asbestos-containing material to be handled, cut or removed, with water or other wetting agents or liquid encapsulants. The wet-down asbestos-containing material is then disposed of according to procedures mandated by federal and state regulations in which the wet-down material is placed into appropriately labeled impermeable containers and transported to an approved disposal site.
Currently the wet-down material placed into impermeable containers can contain by weight and volume or bulk as little as 25% asbestos-containing material and as much as 75% water and other liquids. Transportation and disposal charges are based on weight and volume or bulk, which means that up to three-fourths of the cost of transporting and disposing of removed asbestos-containing material can be for the transport and disposal of the water and other liquids used to wet-down the asbestos-containing material. Separation of water and other liquids from wet-down asbestos-containing material prior to placement of the material into impermeable containers will significantly reduce the cost of transporting and disposing of the material, which is a considerable portion of the cost of a typical asbestos abatement project.
Separation of water and other liquids from wet-down asbestos-containing material will also reduce the volume and bulk of material disposed of, which will conserve the available space in approved disposal sites and thereby achieve long term savings in the cost of asbestos abatement as well as in the cost of toxic waste clean-up in general.
U.S Pat. No. 4,680,808 discloses an airborne refuse compactor for airliner galleys that accommodates a trash bag made from a hydrophobic material capable of retaining liquid in the trash until compacting force and suction are applied to the bag. The materials disclosed are 6 3/4 ounces per 40 inch wide linear yard grade dacron or 120 to 170 denier weave nylon having a weight of 5 ounces per 40 inch wide linear yard. Upon application of compacting force in combination with suction, the liquid is drawn through the bag and removed from the trash, which is simultaneously compacted. The separated liquid is then either dumped overboard or received by the aircraft liquid drain collection system for subsequent removal. While this system functions to separate liquids from the coarse refuse collected on commercial airliners, it would not function to separate water or other liquids from the fine asbestos fibers found in asbestos-containing materials.
A compactor system capable of separating water and other liquids from wet-down asbestos-containing material while retaining substantially all of the asbestos-containing material would be highly desirable.